Consumers are being warned about counterfeit Microsoft computer software, which is allegedly being sold over-the-counter as the real thing by unscrupulous dealers in Bahrain.

The alert was issued yesterday by Microsoft Gulf, which claimed people were being duped into buying fake goods - believing them to be originals.

Its anti-piracy manager, Savas Yucedag, said the software, packaged to look like the genuine one, was being marketed at lower prices that were 'too good to be true'.

He said the country was experiencing a rising number of 'accidental pirates', people who unintentionally purchased counterfeit software from resellers only to find out later they had been cheated.

'In doing so, they expose themselves to a plethora of risks, which in the long-run can prove extremely costly for individuals, and often disastrous for businesses,' he said.

'Honest resellers, who sell only genuine software, are put at an unfair disadvantage, and ultimately, the whole economy feels the effects.

'We are actively working to ensure our customers and partners are protected from unscrupulous suppliers - this is a responsibility we take extremely seriously.

'When they come to us for help, we make sure they receive the necessary support and collaborate with local law enforcement authorities to take appropriate enforcement action against resellers who are supplying counterfeit software.'

Yucedag revealed software currently being distributed in Bahrain included fake hologram CDs and fake certificate of authenticity labels that look like the real thing and are sold as complete software packages.

'Customers who make the purchase in good faith believe that what they are purchasing is genuine when the product is in fact counterfeit,' he added.

Yucedag said it was becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between genuine and non-genuine software, unless consumers knew what to look for.

Microsoft Bahrain country manager Tareq Hijazi described the scope of the piracy problem in the kingdom as immense. 'We are working with Bahraini authorities to make a measurable impact on the piracy rate.”

'We're providing the necessary support and resources to our resellers who are committed to selling 'genuine' software and we're urging victims of software counterfeiting to report it so that other consumers are protected from the risks posed by counterfeit software,' he added. – TradeArabia News Service